Certainly something to think about... since the SG of the sparge water increases as it picks up sugar you certainly would want to finish sparging from the top down to rinse the most sugar from the bed.

I toyed with this ideal a decade ago. It fits my profession since I'm also a geotechnical engineer and groundwater flow through soil is similar to wort flow through a grain bed.

Sure, this option reduces the potential to hydraulically compact the grain bed. However, the intake for the wort discharge at the top of the bed is not easy to accomplish. In addition, you would eventually have to drain the bed from the bottom or you would not be able to get the final runnings out of the bed.

With proper control and monitoring of the flow rate through the bed, you can easily avoid compacting the grain bed. My bottom line was that the upflow design was not worth the effort.

Not sure it relates to sparging exactly, but a friend of mine has a Speidel Braumeister. In watching him brew, the entire mash cycle is an upflow. A filter screen on top keeps the grain in the basket as the wort is pumped up from below. At the end the whole grain basket is lifted out of the kettle/wort to drain completely. (I know most of you will know the specifics of the process, but I add it for those who may not.)

Not sure it relates to sparging exactly, but a friend of mine has a Speidel Braumeister. In watching him brew, the entire mash cycle is an upflow. A filter screen on top keeps the grain in the basket as the wort is pumped up from below. At the end the whole grain basket is lifted out of the kettle/wort to drain completely. (I know most of you will know the specifics of the process, but I add it for those who may not.)

so it's more of a brew in a bag sort of thing? underlet the grain to mashin/step and then pull the whole grain mass to 'sparge'?

Yes. Though only $2000 for the 20 liter model. On top of that the heating elements are underpowered, and the grain capacity limits the brewer to non-imperial beers unless malt extract is added. It is kind of cool though.

Yes. Though only $2000 for the 20 liter model. On top of that the heating elements are underpowered, and the grain capacity limits the brewer to non-imperial beers unless malt extract is added. It is kind of cool though.

no doubt, it's super shiny and fancy looking. And for folks with a strong desire to make their own beer from grain and more money than time, why not.